How could you not be enticed (or at least amused) by a film called Hummus! The Movie? Definitely a "must-see"; up there with Chocolat and Ratatouille. If you do fancy an evening concentrating on one of the Middle East's most successful exports then you're in luck.
The UK International Jewish Film Festival (UKIJFF) is in town next week, and even if eating hummus is not your idea of a great night out, there are several other food-focused films on offer - a tasty mixture of documentaries and comedies.
First up, the aforementioned Hummus! The Movie takes a closer look at a few of the thousands of hummus joints in Israel. Shots of comforting-looking bowls of steaming, freshly cooked hummus slathered with olive oil abound.
The movie picks up the tales of four characters and their lives with the chickpea dip. Eliyahu Shmueli, the born-again Orthodox Jew whose mentor Aluf Abir - a dreadlocked martial arts specialist and the man who created raga muffin, raga hip hop and rap culture in Hebrew - has influenced his career in hummus. Shmueli went from his last shekel to thriving kosher hummus franchisor after following Abir's advice. Don't tell me you're not intrigued.
Next up, Suheila Al Hindi, a 50-year-old Israeli Arab, in her own words - "married to hummus". Her life's work has been dedicated (very successfully) to carrying on her late father's restaurant. For the smiling Al Hindi and her sister keeping the restaurant clean is a bit of an obsession.
Then there is Christian Arab, Jalil Dabit, whose family have been serving hummus since 1948 - his 70-something- year-old father still churns out falafel in the kitchen. His three brothers have jumped ship and he's the last hope for his father to carry on the business but Dabit has his eye on a life in Berlin where his fiancee is due to go to study.
Finally, Benedictine Monk, known as Olivier, from Abu Gosh, the hummus capital of Israel, gives us a flavour of things in his manor, not least the attempts of the locals to make it into the Guinness World Records for the biggest ever serving of hummus. It's a huge serving and the movie will leave you with a smile on your face - not to mention a chalashing for the smooth, creamy, chickpea dip.
For a real insight into Israel's burgeoning food culture, Roger Sherman's In Search of Israeli Cuisine is a must-see. Philadelphia-based chef Michael Solomnov takes us on a culinary tour of Israel, meeting food producers, chefs and local fooderati. We hear from the locals how things have changed for the tiny country which has gone from gastronomic wasteland to powerhouse since the 1980s.
Solomnov's passion for the local cuisine, which he cooks up in his Stateside eatery, Zahav, was inspired after his 21-year old brother died while serving in the Israeli army.
Solomnov's food and cookery book, also called Zahav has won numerous awards. Sherman is evangelistic about Israeli food. "I was dragged there on a food trip in 2010. We wanted to go to Paris! I was so naïve. It was an epiphany - I was completely knocked out."
Sherman says he went back to the US raving about it and wanting to make a film but people laughed at him. "It had the makings of a great film - why make a film if you cannot surprise and delight?" After failing to find someone to act as the viewer's guide, a meal at Zahav led him to Solomnov - "he was so welcoming and funny that I knew that was my guy."
"It's about tasting new things and talking about history, this rich abundant history," says Solomnov in the movie. "The mission is to show Israeli cuisine in its entirety and to show its culture and the beauty of things here."
The film smoothly moves from the history to the politics of Israeli food and on to its emotive qualities. Immigrants once ashamed of their family's culinary traditions, whether Ashkenazi or Sephardi, now proudly boast about them. Even Solomnov displays some of the recent disdain for Ashkenazi food but is wowed by a lockshen kugel made by food guide, Shmil Holland. Wine, olive oil and the kosher scene are also given air time.
Sherman is delighted that the film is being shown at festivals worldwide. "It is being shown in Shanghai next month - who knew there were Jews there!" He also shares that it has spawned a dedicated food tourism operation offering the official In Search of Israeli Cuisine tour, and if you're lucky enough to snag a ticket, there's an In Search of Israeli cuisine dinner immediately after the screening at JW3. Arranged in partnership with Gefiltefest, the meal (cooked up by the Zest team) will showcase the fresh flavours from the film served "mezze style" on communal tables.
There are a couple of shorts: A Reuben by any other name - a comic and typically Jewish debate about how to make a Reuben sandwich; and The Last Blintz, a 30-minute memorial to not only the recently closed Café Edison deli (aka The Polish Tea Rooms) in New York but to old New York and its vanishing culture. Even more poignant with the imminent closure of the Carnegie Deli, the film details the story of original owners, the Edelsteins, who came from a Polish shtetl and built up their restaurant serving traditional Jewish food in New York's theatre district; and its last days following the decision of the landlords to evict the café.
Last up is The Last Pickle - also about the older generation of Jewish food but this time a comedy about one family's attempts to force bubbe to hand over her pickle recipe before she is no longer able to remember it.
A delicious mix of movies to whet your appetite.
